Carole Duggan: Mark 'was just an ordinary man'

Carole Duggan, the aunt of Mark Duggan, has rubbished accusations her nephew was a 'gangster', telling ITV News he did not live a 'gangster lifestyle' and was "just an ordinary man. He struggled like any other working class person would do."

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Speaking after the verdict of the inquest into police's lawful killing of Mark Duggan, the Met Police Commissioner Bernard Hogan-Howe has admitted: "We do have a particular concern about our relationship with younger members of the black community"

In a statement, the Met Police chief said: "I would first like to record my thanks to Mark’sfamily for expressing their desire to pursue their case peacefully, anddiscouraging further demonstrations or protests.

"That’s a very dignified way to respond in what are clearly very distressing circumstances for them."

Lucy's interview with the Met Police commissioner will be online shortly.

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The Prime Minister has appealed for a calm response to the conclusions of the Mark Duggan inquest that found the 29-year-old was lawfully killed when shot by police in 2011.

David Cameron said he hoped people would respect the "proper judicial process" and welcomed the comments of Mr Duggan's aunt Carole, who said she wanted "no more violence".

Prime Minister David Cameron. Credit: Chris Ison/PA Wire

Speaking to BBC London, Mr Cameron said: "We have to respect judicial processes in this country, we have to respect the outcome of trials and the work that juries do.

"I very much respect Mark Duggan's aunt for saying they want to pursue their case through the courts rather than on the streets, I think that's absolutely right.

"I have huge respect for Bernard Hogan-Howe, who I know is ready to meet with the family if they would like and recognises how much more important work we still have to do to make sure the police have the confidence of every community in London."

He added: "These issues raise very strong emotions but I hope people can react calmly and recognise that we have proper judicial processes in this country and they are the ones that must be followed and respected."

The police officer who was heckled as he attempted to make a statement following the Mark Duggan inquest has said the Metropolitan Police is at a "heightened" level of alert in case any violent disorder breaks out in response to the outcome.

Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley was talked over by the enraged crowd who called out "murderer" and "murdering scum" as he tried to address the press outside the Royal Courts of Justice yesterday.

Speaking today, Mr Rowley said the strong reaction was understandable under the circumstances.

"I think anyone can understand a family who've lost a loved one," he said.

He added: "We don't have any information that there are people out there actively planning disorder but of course Londoners would think we were slightly naive if we had no preparation at all, so what we're doing today is what I would call a heightened state of readiness."

The "struggle" will go on for answers over the shooting of Mark Duggan but his aunt Carole insisted she wanted "no more demonstrations, no more violence".

Instead, she said the family would pursue the authorities through peaceful channels.

The Metropolitan Police commissioner has admitted the shooting has resulted in a "significant reduction in trust" between London's black communities and the police.

Carole Duggan speaks to the media following the conclusion to the inquest. Credit: Press Association

Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe will meet political representatives from London and local community leaders from Tottenham today to discuss how the police can build better relationships. He said he is "open to ideas and advice".

But Ms Duggan told BBC Radio 4's Today programme she was not yet ready to meet Sir Bernard and the family was still in "turmoil" about the case.

"The family are still in shock right now about the result of yesterday," she said. "We are in turmoil. We don't really know what's going to happen at this point. There will be something further down the line, I'm sure."

Labour's Diane Abbott told Daybreak an overuse of the stop and search tactic had exacerbated an already tense relationship between police and deprived urban communities.

"People have to understand how unhappy some people are about this verdict and why they are unhappy. It's because of the history of the relationship between the police and some of the community in that urban area.

"I think there is still a lot of concern about stop and search and the fact that black youths and muslim youths get stopped and searched far more than white youths - and it bears no relationship to the actual criminality."

Met Commissioner Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe has confirmed that he will run a trial in which firearms officers will wear video recorders "to see if this is an effective way to record evidence and ensure public confidence".

He also said he would be meeting some of London's political representatives and community leaders from Tottenham later today.

The purpose of the meeting is "to discuss how the Metropolitan Police can build better relationships for the future," he said.

Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe has said the Mark Duggan case shows that the police "need to do more, much more, to improve our relationship with black Londoners".

In a statement released after the conclusion of the inquest into Mr Duggan's death, he said the case had led to a "significant reduction in trust" between London's black communities and the force.

I welcome the verdict of a jury that our officers acted lawfully when they confronted an armed criminal who they believed posed a threat to them and to the public. But I recognise that some in the community are still angry at Mr Duggan's death.

In particular, I know that we have much work to do with black Londoners to build trust and confidence in the Metropolitan Police. We are already working with communities across our great city to achieve that, and we now appeal to all local leaders to help us in that.